What’s Up?! Taylor Swift, “Hardcore Henry” and Short Film News

What’s up good people?! ITSASHORT.COM is back with your weekly short film and movie roundup.

Before we get into some movie news, we have to give a shoutout to Taylor Swift. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s Taylor’s world and we are all just living in it. This notion was evident at Sunday’s iHeartRadio Music Awards where the reigning pop music queen won three trophies, including “Album of the Year” and “Female Artist of the Year.”

And by the way, sitting with Ms. Swift is like being at the cool kids’ table. Her boyfriend Calvin Harris won a iHeartRadio award for “Dance Artist of the Year,” and her BFF Selena Gomez was named “Biggest Triple Threat.”

It’s good to be Ms. Swift these days. Being associated with her isn’t bad either.

Taylor Swift at iHeartRadio Awards

But game recognize game (as they say), so itsashort.com had to show Taylor some love.

A New Kind Of Hardcore

“Hardcore Henry”/Facebook

A new kind of film is set to debut in theaters this week. “Hardcore Henry” is entirely shot from the first-person perspective of the central character, some dude named Henry. The movie was shot almost entirely with wide-angle, body-mounted Go-Pro cameras.

Have you ever played those video games where you’re holding the gun and the action is from your perspective? That’s what this film is, according to the Guardian.

…the film is rife with familiar video game staples – not just the way we see Henry’s arms flailing about, but the way he throws things, the way he shoots guns and the fact that he’s accompanied by supporting characters constantly shouting exposition and instruction at him.

What’s interesting about the film is that it evolved from a viral music video, a short film of sorts. It got made into a full-length feature after Russian movie mogul Timur Bekmambetov viewed it.

The movie is just days away from opening. Yet, the reviews have been largely positive. As of this writing, “Hardcore Henry” has an 81 rating over at Rotten Tomatoes.

Hardcore Henry/Instagram

And if “Hardcore Henry” becomes a hit, expect more movies like it to be made: films that make you feel like you’re in a video game.

“If Hardcore Henry does well then people are gonna be more open to it. And if it makes money, I guess people will jump on that bandwagon,” director Ilya Naishuller told the Guardian recently.

Big Bubbles

Andre Royo/Wikimedia Commons

Starring in a critically-acclaimed television series doesn’t necessarily guarantee you more work. Just ask Andre Royo, who played Bubbles in the award-winning HBO series “The Wire,” a show widely regarded as a milestone in television history.

Unfortunately, Royo hasn’t gotten much work since the show ended in 2008.

“The Wire” is one of the best things ever done and it certainly changed me. But I wasn’t getting offers after “The Wire,” said Royo in a recent IndieWire report.

“When I heard I won the acting prize at SXSW, I was just kind of overwhelmed with appreciation and a little bit of awe. You’re always scared that maybe you’re a little crazy, maybe people aren’t gonna get it,” he said.

People certainly seem to get it now. And it’s good to see more actors from “The Wire,” a favorite of itsashort.com, get their due. More short film roles for Wire actors would be great as well.

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